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John Schoolman is as colorful as his canes, walking sticks and other items on display at the Lakeland Art Gallery, Warsaw.
An accomplished folk artist, Schoolman, 96, lives at Irish Lake, where he paints his canes, walking sticks, plant stands, hall trees and more.
He started making the items in the early 1980s, but said, "I don't remember exactly when. I use naturally grown (not carved) wood that I started picking up from along the road. The handles on the canes actually come from the root part of the sticks, while the legs on the pedestals and hall trees are the upper branches. Most of the wood is Sumac. I also have some items made of Bittersweet I had my eye on that blew over so I could get to it. I sketch the design on, then paint it."
He also paints on rocks and on barn siding and enjoys photography.
This is Schoolman's first public showing, although he's received many requests from people who see him walking with one of his canes or walking sticks. "They wanted me to set up sales at a place in Sarasota (Florida), but I turned them down. Most of what I make for other people is for friends and family members; I've done several that have family trees painted on them."
His grandson Gary Miniear said, "He's never sold them before -Êjust gave them as gifts. The primary purpose of the showing is to display his work, although he might sell some of the items."
Schoolman grew up in Peru, Ind. and has many memories about the circus. He had a small community grocery store, Schoolman's Store, Bippus, for 37 years. He knows the Schenkel family, including sportscaster Chris Schenkel. A member of the volunteer fire department, he said, "All the fire calls came into the store during the day while the other volunteers were working."
Schoolman said, "We bought the place on the north side of Irish Lake in the 1950s as a weekend home, then retired there in 1973."
A veteran of World War II, Miniear said his grandfather was one of the older draftees at the time. "He's done everything from drive a horse and buggy to ride a jet plane, and he reads a lot of history books." Schoolman also is a frequent visitor to the Senior Primelife Enrichment Center, North Webster, which is co-presenting the showing.
Schoolman's mother's family, the Demuths, are well-known in Peru for saving historical letters, including many personal letters from the Civil War. Now on display in the Peru Museum, the letters make up one of the best Civil War collections in the state. Several of the letters were typed and copied into two books.
The items are on display at the Lakeland Art Gallery, 116 S. Buffalo St., Warsaw, through Oct. 15, Wednesday through Saturday, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. An artist's reception is Sept. 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. For more information, call the gallery at 574-267-4040, e-mail artsreach@kconline.com or visit www.lakelandart.org or contact Barb Hetric with the SPEC, 574-834-1600, Ext. 4, or bhetric@yahoo.com
